THE TOMBS OF THE DE BROHAM FAMILY,
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF SOME REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES RECENTLY MADE IN THEIR BURIAL-PLACE IN THE CHURCH OF BROUGHAM.
[Communicated by William Brougham, Esq.]
In the month of October, 1846, while repairing the burial-vault of the family of Brougham, situate within the chancel of the parish church of Brougham, in Westmorland, a skeleton buried cross-legged was discovered about two feet below the surface between the wall of the vault and the south wall of the chancel. It lay with the feet to the east, the left leg thrown over the right, and round the left heel was an iron spur of the prick form, the shank and neck perfectly straight, the point resting upon the soil which formed the bottom of the grave, and, to some extent, corroded off—the side or shank of the spur which lay nearest to the outer wall was also corroded off, to the extent of nearly four inches. Close to the spur was a piece of iron, one inch in length, which may have formed part of the point, and another bit of circular form which may have been part of the buckle or other furniture of the spur. No spur was found upon the right heel, nor was there any trace, either at that place or at any other part of the body, of rust, or any thing indicative of other pieces of armour. There was no appearance of decayed wood, of lead, or of cloth. The arms lay alongside the body. The skeleton was in a perfect state; the teeth were very white, although, after some days' exposure to the air, they became discoloured. All the teeth in the upper jaw were perfect, except the wisdom teeth. On one side their surfaces were much worn, while on the opposite side they appeared as if little used: upon examining the lower jaw, it was found that the corresponding teeth were wanting, and from the closed-up appearance of the socket, coupled with the unworn teeth of the upper jaw, it was evident that the lower teeth had been wanting for many years. The general appearance of the teeth remaining in the lower jaw, also indicated that the deceased had long passed the prime of life.
